ABU DHABI // Almost every teacher will have to take a training course, pass a test and obtain a licence before setting foot in a classroom.

The new regime, similar to licensing for doctors, is expected to be introduced next year and will affect about 60,000 teachers. Teachers are already required to have at least a bachelor’s or equivalent university degree. The new system will require expatriate and Emirati teachers at both public and private schools to register for a course and complete a test to qualify for a licence.

“You know the medical certification if you are a doctor? If you come to practise here in UAE, there is a certain regulation,” the Ministry of Education undersecretary Marwan Al Sawaleh said on Tuesday. “So, for teachers this will be the same.” He said some experienced teachers may be exempt, as would some who hold teaching licences from specific countries. “Education is a key for this country,” Mr Al Sawaleh said. “Our aim is to provide a high-standard quality education system. “We will not allow just a normal country’s standard teacher to come and teach our kids, our future leaders. It’s a right for the students and parents to really have very sound, quality teachers certified in the schools.”

Mr Al Sawaleh said the final framework for the licensing system will be presented to the Cabinet for approval in September or October. If approved, it could be introduced in phases from the beginning of 2015. A grace period of one or two years would also be offered to give teachers and schools the time to adapt to the new guidelines.

The new system will unify teaching standards, the Minister of Education, Humaid Al Qattami, told the FNC on Tuesday. “We are conducting a comprehensive revision of private education. We are in the final stages of drawing up this new law,” he said. Mr Al Qattami also told the FNC that a set curriculum for Arabic, Islamic studies and national education will be compulsory in private schools from next year. “All studies have shown that there is a weakness in forming a student’s personality in this area,” Mr Al Qattami said. Mr Al Qattami was responding to a question raised by FNC member Ali Al Nuaimi about the frequent changes made to private schools’ curriculums, which he said teachers and pupils were suffering from. "What are the reasons behind these changes and why doesn’t the ministry set a unified guide for curriculums for all private schools to follow?” said Mr Al Nuaimi.

The Minister of Education defended the existing system. He said there were 17 different curriculums being taught, the six main ones being the Ministry of Education’s, British, American, International Baccalaureate, Australian and German. “Private education in the UAE has good infrastructure and an international open system,” said Mr Qattami.

Mr Al Nuaimi also said some parents had complained about inappropriate material being taught at some private schools “They have principles in contradiction with religious and Islamic principles. “Some private schools also teach material that is outside the accredited curriculum,” he said.

Mr Al Qattami said there was a hotline that parents could call if they felt their children were not being taught properly. The Ministry will investigate complaints, he said.

Mr Al Nuaimi also said some parents had complained about inappropriate material being taught at some private schools “They have principles in contradiction with religious and Islamic principles. “Some private schools also teach material that is outside the accredited curriculum,” he said.

Well... duh... maybe then you should send the little darling to some other school or the public schools.

As far as teaching K-12 goes, licensure/certification makes sense. I'm a certified K-9 educator; while certification does not a good teacher make, it does show to some degree that the licensee/certificate holder has completed a series of examinations/practica (practicums) that demonstrate fundamental understanding of pedagogy.

Many international/private schools (for foreign and/or host nationals) in the GCC are not accredited institutions (whether by WASC, CIS, etc) and to gain accreditation, schools must hire a certain percentage of certified persons, especially in the core disciplines. The school where I will be teaching this fall in Kuwait is on course to earn accreditation and, as such, is required to hire more certified teachers.

The trend toward hiring certified instructors is becoming more widespread in developing education systems, but the reverse trend was seen in the U.S. over the past 15 years. Programs like Teach for America produced classroom teachers with little pedagogical or classroom training, much less standard teaching certification. As states are now realizing that paradigm hasn't shown the desired results, there is a big shift in several states for tightening the standards for teacher certification (e.g. Illinois).

However, considering that the UAE is at a deficit of approximately 60,000 teachers (of course a percentage of these are elementary/middle/high school), I wonder how feasible it will be to implement such standards. Logically, it would be better to systematically roll out this new initiative (piecemeal, more or less), but I have a feeling that some haste will be exercised...

DUBAI--Outdated teaching methods and poor work conditions for teachers are among the big concerns that schools in Dubai face, a report by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) found.

According to the report, casual recruitment, low salaries and poor working conditions are the key factors causing staff to quit. Indian, US and “other curriculum” schools in particular were among the schools that were found to have a high staff turnover. “High staff turnover is often harmful to the continuity of students’ learning," the report said. The report accused schools of failing to understand the importance of fair employment. “Not all schools understand that to provide teachers with training, support and fair terms of employment is a vital investment strategy,” it read. Another key issue that schools face, especially underperforming ones, is a narrow approach by teachers to learning and outdated teaching methods that don’t encourage investigative skills.

Although the report did not study whether there was a link between teachers' poor performance and poor working conditions, those who spoke to Gulf News said they believed the two were very much related. “I always try to do my very best regardless of the situation that I am in, however I must say that when I was in my previous job where I was working in a hostile and poor environment it did eventually get to me and I felt that I was not doing my job well,” said Jameela Hijawi, who teaches at a school in Sharjah. She added that after she changed jobs to a much better school, her mental state improved and so did her teaching.

Teacher Lamia Yaseen agreed, stating that good working conditions and salaries were vital to the performance of not just teachers, but all professions. “Not only teachers, anyone who works in a poor environment will eventually break down and leave. I am fortunate enough to work in a great school that provides growth opportunities through regular workshops.”

To improve teachers’ skills and expose them to new methods, Fatima Bel Rehif, DSIB Director at KHDA, said the authority has introduced an event where teachers are provided with a platform to exchange ideas. “KHDA launched 'What Works' in 2012 to provide a platform for teaching professionals to develop their techniques and expertise in a range of areas. The conferences were designed to engage teachers and leaders, encouraging them to share positive practice in education and develop their skills,” she added

Students and parents were also interviewed to learn what they thought about teaching methods. University student Mohannad Yousuf, an 18-year-old Egyptian who as a student studied in three different schools, said he encountered more bad teachers than good. “Most of my teachers were fresh graduates from abroad who lacked any skills. I hope that schools would care more about experience.”

Mother of four, Manal Al Waleed, believes improvement of Arabic teaching methods in schools should be a priority. “I don’t even understand the Arabic material assigned by my child’s grade nine teacher. Teachers should simplify it and make it more interesting.”

ABU DHABI // Teachers across the country will be subject to a uniform licensing system set to be introduced early next year, the National Qualifications Authority says. The system, which will standardise qualifications for Emirati and expatriate teachers in private and public schools, is now being finalised, the authority said. “We’ll be introducing teacher licensing soon all over, hopefully in the beginning of next year,” said Marwan Al Salawah, assistant secretary at the Ministry of Education.

The system is being developed by the NQA, the ministry, Abu Dhabi Education Council, Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority and the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education Training. Mr Al Salawah has said that under the new rules teachers may be required to take a training course, pass an exam or obtain a federal licence to work in the country.

But the final details of how the licensing system will be introduced will not be confirmed until next year. “Such standards will be applied to Emirati and expatriate teachers alike at public and private schools,” said Dr Thani Al Mehairi, director general of the NQA. “The committee is now finalising the licensing standards and will soon state all the details relevant to the first implementation stage.”

The NQA is also working with the ministry on a teaching career handbook that will outline employment categories and knowledge and skills required for each level of education, said Dr Al Mehairi. He said it was hoped the guidebook would encourage more Emiratis to take up teaching as a career. “Any Emirati willing to take teaching as his or her career shall be aware of all the opportunities to be available within the teaching pathway,” he said. “All of the incentives and promotions shall be clearly stated. Yet, the handbook does not target only UAE nationals, but all those who are in or interested in joining the teaching career inside the UAE.” The guidebook will outline “occupational criteria” that will help to identify the best teaching professionals, Dr Al Mehairi said. “The committee already approved its work plan and the expected timeframe, which has taken into account the disparity that currently exists in the criteria for assessing and licensing teachers at the local and national levels, and the size of the workforce in the education and training sector,” he said. “So NQA is part of this big national endeavour to promote teaching careers and make it more attractive to all citizens and residents in the UAE.”

The National Committee for the Licensure of Teachers, chaired by the NQA, was established last year to develop a UAE-wide policy. A two-day education conference at Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research this week focused on the challenges of attracting and retaining Emirati teachers. Those who attended praised efforts by the national licensing committee to establish the system. “There are important concepts in teachers that have to be evaluated and the licensing is a big measure of quality assurance,” said Dr Mohamed Baniyas, vice chancellor of the Emirates College for Advanced Education, which trains teachers. “With licensing, it reassures that teachers have the initial, proper qualification.”

Dr Baniyas said the system would identify the professional skills and standards required of teachers, and help to promote their continued education. “One important aspect in any profession is not to stop at the level you graduated from, but to continue the learning forever,” he said. “So that will be very important. Through licensing you can do the professional development as well.”

DUBAI // Education chiefs were urged on Monday to phase in a new licensing system slowly to avoid losing good teachers who might not be formally qualified. The new licences, coming next year, should make allowances for talented teachers who have acquired years of classroom experience while not holding the proper professional credentials, experts say.

The national scheme may require teachers to pass an exam or complete a training programme to be issued a licence. Details will be confirmed next year. “It’s like a platform for uniform criteria for all teachers,” said Jumana Shehada, head of the English department at Dubai National School, which supports the changes. “Some people are applying for teaching but they have only been enrolled in academic programmes, not teaching programmes, so they are qualified from an academic point of view but they don’t have the teaching qualifications. It’s very important, alongside curriculum or academic requirements, that they know teaching methodology: how to appeal to students, how to differentiate classes. It’s a prerequisite that should be there for teachers, similar to a professional standing required in other countries.”

At the moment, education authorities such as the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai, Abu Dhabi Education Council or the Ministry of Education list different qualification criteria for teachers. Even within authorities there are discrepancies. With KHDA, for example, Arabic and Islamic studies teachers have to pass an exam and meet academic criteria, while other teachers are exempt from the test.

A national licensing system will ensure the professional standards are uniform. Bandana Lazarus, vice principal at Delhi Private School in Dubai, said unifying the standards would bring the UAE in line with the qualifications requirements of many other countries. In India, she said, all teachers take an exam after completing their education degree. “They have to clear this test, once they have that score, it helps them get recruited,” she said. “Until you are trained to be a teacher, you cannot teach.” While she supported unifying licensing standards, Mrs Lazarus said arrangements should be considered for existing teachers who had been working without the teaching credentials, and Mrs Shehada agreed. “There should be an equivalence criteria, for instance a minimum number of teaching years, that would be OK,” said Mrs Shehada. Such teachers should be taught classroom management strategies and how to communicate effectively with pupils, she said.

Neene Adam, an English teacher at Gems Modern Academy, knows many teachers who are not formally trained in the profession but excel at their jobs. She said if teachers who did not hold a teachers’ training certificate were forced to retrain to meet the new standards, the cost should be met by the schools. “If it becomes mandatory, then that would become quite an obstacle – we may lose a lot of good teachers,” Mrs Adam said, because teachers would have to return to school themselves to earn professional qualifications. “With the pressure now on teachers to deliver with so little income coming in, I mean, teachers are dropping out of the profession already. If you’re going to put in more stipulations, you’re going to lose more good teachers.”

Rema Vellat, a counsellor and author who runs the Counselling Point consultancy, said it was normal for some people to resist change. “Initially, when something like that is introduced, there’s going to be chaos and people will grumble,” she said. “It’s just like before when it became mandatory for all educational institutions to be licensed by either Adec or KHDA. But now everybody realises the importance of it and the reason behind it, and everybody follows the rules.”